The Flame
by Nostalgicmiss
Summary: Bella is on a trip across Europe with one pair of chucks and a sketchpad. She's running away from grief and following fate, but what does fate have in store?  A One-shot for Hev99's Birthday. BxJ, A/H


**A/N: I wrote this little ditty for my amazing beta and close friend Hev99 aka Bob! We've been friends for a couple of years now and I love her to death. She's one of those people you never know what to get because thing you buy just never seem to say Thank you for being the amazing friend you are. So I hope that combining a few of her favorite things, including Jasper, and putting them into a fic will tell her how glad I am to have her in my life. **

**I love you bobble sister. I hope you have a fantastic day! And I hope this makes you realize just how undecidedly special you are, and how, no matter how much you try, your birthday will never be canceled. Have a Very Merry Unbirthday! I'm a day early just so you can stick with your plan! **

**Please excuse any mistakes, this is for my beta ;) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or the characters that still seem to mesmerize me. All copyrights and ownership goes to Stephenie Meyer and the wonderful folk that represent her.**

_**Happy birthday Bob!**_

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><p><strong>THE FLAME<strong>

_Step, step right over the line  
><em>_And onto borrowed time  
><em>_When it's life, not waiting to die  
><em>_Waiting to divide to divide  
><em>_Counting stars and passing cars  
><em>_On the interstate  
><em>_The end is near I feel it dear,  
><em>_But I am not afraid.  
><em>_**Borrowed Time by A Fine Frenzy**_

* * *

><p>I could see him looking at me from across the train. His shaggy blond hair falling into his eyes as he sporadically looked down at his phone. The gently clunk of the wheels on the track seemed to match the thud of my excited heart as we moved. In an attempt to be flirtatious, I attempted to cross my legs, but my foot somehow managed to get caught up in the strap of my backpack. I could feel the blush on my cheeks, but when I looked up to make sure he hadn't seen my error in judgment, he was chuckling soundly to himself.<p>

I'd taken a semester off from college to backpack through Europe. I'd tried to go back to normal after the loss of my mother, but it was difficult to concentrate and my student advisor had suggested taking some time off and coming back. A hiatus was apparently better than a fail, and considering that academically I hadn't failed at anything in my life, I took his advice.

Dad wasn't pleased, but I hadn't expected him to be. Once I was able to get my words in order and explain he was a little more accepting, but still called this little excursion of mine a flight of whimsy to escape my emotions. Maybe he was right, maybe it was easier being somewhere where her ghost wasn't lingering. I just knew I had to do something before breathing became impossible and the pain in my chest exploded leaving behind an emotionally stunted shell.

I was currently en route to Italy; I was avoiding the bigger cities in favor of the small tourist areas. I had my sketchbook and pencils and I was set. I'd drawn caricatures for half of Europe to pay for a room, but my real passion was sketching landscapes, and this continent had plenty of that to go around. Including the very handsome guy that was now talking to his friends in the seat opposite him.

Feeling stupid for attempt and failing miserably at flirting, I leaned forward and opened my bag, grabbing on of my medium sized pad and a graphite pencil. I'd promised my roommate, Stella, that I could sketch any hot guys I saw while I was here.

It had been over four weeks and my sketchpads were seriously lacking images of hotties, but if I was being honest. The blond was the first to inspire me to even attempt sitting still long enough to put pencil to paper.

In short, jerky movements, I moved the pencil over the paper to form the shape of his face, the scratchy sound making it impossible not to smile. It was a sound that eased me; that made me feel alive when there were times I felt I couldn't breathe at all.

My eyes flickered from the paper to the guy; I captured the straight lines of his nose, the gentle half curl of his hair, and even the broadness of his shoulders. When I looked up to start on the shadows, he was sitting in the next bank of seats down from his.

I tried not to react, but it was impossible when he smiled the way he did. His teeth were perfectly shaped, and sparkling white. He looked like a model from a toothpaste commercial; I could almost hear the dazzling sparkles of the perfect clean.

I improvised and shaded from the new angle, using my already dirty fingers to blend the graphite into a gradient. The Italian countryside rushed by behind him, but to me in this moment it didn't exist. It was just him, in the sunlight, looking like something out of a Calvin Klein billboard.

As I worked on his neck, letting my fingers stroke the paper version of him, I let him sit unviewed for a second. Of course, by the time I looked up, he was sat in the grouping of seats opposite of my own.

"Hi," he said, with his impossible smile and impossibly bright teeth.

He was American, which was ironic considering how far I'd traveled to find a face like his. Even his voice was like liquid silk, caressing my skin. I suddenly felt brave, and returned his smile, which was not a me thing to do. I was the hide behind my hair and pretend it didn't happen type.

"Hi," I offered, it wasn't a huge earth shattering first statement, but it would do.

"I'm Jasper, Jasper Hale. And you are . . .?"

"Bella Swan, nice to meet you Jasper."

I was impressed with myself, a partial statement and no stutter, or hiding or making a complete ass out of myself. I was on a roll.

"Are you drawing me?" he asked, finally making the last move and occupying the seat facing me.

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks and tried to beat it back into submission, but it was useless, Jasper had already seen it and was more than happy to point it out.

"Are you drawing me nude? Your blush certainly seems to allude to it."

"No, not nude," I laughed, holding out the pad to him as I twirled the pencil between my fingers. It was a habit I'd picked up from my dad when he'd take me to the station with him. He'd taught me how to do it, and it had been an outlet for my awkwardness since.

He took the book from my hands, his fingers brushing against mine in the transition. It sent an excited buzz through my body with such force I released the book and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"You're amazing."

"Thanks," I smiled in response. Accepting compliments for my art was something I was accustomed to. It was everything else that fell into a gray area.

"May I?" he asked, his long fingers lingering on the previous page.

When I nodded he started working backward through my trip. I didn't have a camera; all of my memories were etched on the pages of my sketchpads. Some were complete, some were partial scenes and others were skeletons of what could have been.

He took his time looking through the book, his fingers tracing edges, his head tilting to the side to pick up nuances most people would miss. This was my extra credit for my art class. If I made it back before the semester was over, this is what I would be graded on.

He painstakingly took his time with every image as though he were drinking in every stroke of my pencil, smiles played on his lips for some, silent contemplation for others. His reactions were almost enough for me to know what he was looking at.

My hands felt useless, with all the expression he was giving me thousands of potential pictures worked through my mind. There was the way his hair fell over his brow, a single cluster getting caught in his lashes and moving with each blink, the subtle freckles that were almost invisible on his fair skin, even the stubble that sat along the line of his jaw.

"Where are you headed?" he asked looking up at me. "No, wait, let me guess."

"Okay," I answered, dragging out the word as I watched him with a bemused smile. There was absolutely no ounce of shyness coming from him, and I wondered why he was sat here with me at all.

"Verona?"

"Am I that transparent?" I laughed, taking the book back from him as he handed it to me. "Or do you say that to all the girls?"

"No you're not transparent. Far from it, actually. I was just hoping you were because it's where I'm meeting my sister."

My heart actually skipped a beat. Things like this didn't usually happen to me. I was the girl people looked through to see someone else. To many I was invisible and I was oddly at peace with that. But this guy, this amazing, handsome, smiling guy with the perfect teeth and full lips had inexplicably decided to notice me.

"I want to spend some time with you."

"Oh," I replied, suddenly losing every ounce of what little confidence I had. "Well, I'd like that too."

"Where are you staying?"

I shrugged; the truth was I never knew until I got there.

"I have to work for a little bit before I decide," I admitted quietly, finally letting my feet fall to the floor as I eased the drawing pad back into my backpack. I pulled out the book I used for caricatures and handed that to him. "It's how I have paid my way across Europe."

His face lit up, and his cerulean blue eyes sparkled as he flipped through my example book. On the plane to London I'd done a few famous people for examples so if people wanted to see my work I'd have something to show them.

"Do me," Jasper grinned. "I'll pay you for your trouble."

He stood up and made his way down the aisle to the guys he'd been sitting with. All three of them pulled their bags and traipsed down toward me.

"Bella, this is Emmett, my soon to be brother-in-law, and Edward, his baby brother and my best friend."

"Hi," I mumbled to them both as Jasper handed them my example book.

"You're really good at this," Edward said, taking the seat next to me.

"Thank you, it helps me travel across Europe."

"A true back-packer," Emmett exclaimed, dropping into the seat next to Jasper. "Not like these four. I swear they couldn't find a hostel if it was chasing them around and biting at their asses."

"Four?"

"Maggie, my fiancée is with Rose in Verona."

"So where have you guys been?" I asked, looking between the three of them.

Jasper looked slightly embarrassed, Edward was blushing and Emmett was laughing his ass off.

"Amsterdam?" I guessed.

Emmett's snicker was a dead giveaway, and it revealed his dimples giving me the perfect angle to drawn him.

"I'm starting with you," I laughed, digging through my things and pulling out my things.

I drew all three of them in various states of their laughter. It seemed that once you got one of them started, all three of them could go on for hours. Emmett had funny stories for every one of his friends, including his fiancée, which had Jasper sat with his hands over his ears and his eyes scrunched closed.

I was almost sad when the train rolled into the station. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

"Okay guys, lets pay the lady," Jasper smirked digging into his pocket.

"Not necessary, really. You kept me entertained. That's payment enough."

All three of them ignored me and dropped an atrocious amount of money on my lap.

"So, where are you staying?" Jasper asked, "seems to me like you have enough to cover a room where we're staying, and not have to work while you're here. Isn't that fortunate."

"Wait you can't . . ."

"Can and just did," Emmett laughed, holding his caricature over his face like a mask before patting me on the head with a smile.

"No point in arguing," Edward added.

"None at all," Jasper finally said, offering me his arm and slinging my bag over his shoulder along with his. "I want to get to know you and I can be very persuasive."

"No doubt," I laughed, conceding and linking my arm through his. "I'm flattered."

Jasper popped an eyebrow at the statement but didn't comment any further. Instead, he led me down the small aisle hopped off the train with ease, and held my hand as I did the same. It was probably for the best considering I would have probably landed on my face like I had in Spain.

"Rosie, come meet Bella," Jasper said, not relenting his grip on my hand and tugging me toward a beautiful statuesque blonde with the same color eyes as him. It seemed unfair that these two had all the beauty genes. I felt like the ugly duckling in their presence.

"Hi, Bella. These three didn't give you any trouble did they?"

"No ma'am, they were on their best behavior."

Emmett handed her the drawing with a grin, and wrapped her in his arms, as she looked it over.

"You did this?" she asked me, swatting away Emmett's hands as they progressed toward her ass.

"I did."

"You captured his inner child perfectly . . . Emmett would you stop that shit," she laughed, pulling his hand away and biting it, making him yelp. "You're staying with us at the hotel right?"

"I uh . . ."

"Yes," Jasper said over me. "She draws her memories here. I don't even think she has a camera. I want to see her at work."

"Subtle isn't he?" Rose snorted, pinching Jasper's arm.

"Oh I don't mind," I laughed. "As long as he can sit in one spot long enough then I'm fine with it."

We made our way to the hotel slowly after Edward introduced me to _'his Maggie_.' We walked through the streets and drinking in the architecture and history. Edward would occasionally fill us in on the things we would have missed, while Maggie just snuggled into him with a proud smile.

We dawdled, taking our time. My eyes found image upon image that I wanted to draw, while Jasper stayed silent at my side, his fingers tangled with mine as I formulated colors and lines in my head.

When we finally entered the hotel, the others disappeared to their rooms leaving Jasper and I to check in. Jasper went through not a problem, when she got to me, she had no rooms available.

"That's unfortunate," I said with a smile, backing toward the door. "I'll see what I can find around. Thanks Jasper, I've had fun today."

"Wait, wait, wait, where do you think you're going?" he asked, grabbing my hands and pulling me closer to him.

"To find a place to rest my weary head. I'll call you and let you know where I'm staying."

"Stay with me," he insisted shaking my hands excitedly.

I may have done a rather good impression of a guppy. Sure he was a nice guy, but I'd just met him. I wasn't going to stay in his room with him. I knew better than that. I was perfectly happy going to find a room of my own and daydreaming about him there. It was a memory I would have of this trip and his picture was the image I could keep to remind me. He said he'd wanted to hang out, but Italy was full of beautiful women and places, and I was sure that it would be enough to distract him.

"That's not really who I am. I'm sorry."

"What? No. I mean, I'll take the couch, and you can have the bed. I would never assume . . ." he stopped and took a breath, his fingers squeezing my hand gently. "I'm sorry, I know I can be a little pushy at times, and a little forward, but I never assumed that you and I . . . I mean it's not that I don't want to but . . . I'm saying this wrong."

"No I think I understand. You're being a gentleman, and you're offering me a place to stay with no strings attached unless I want them?"

_Who was I? _I barely recognized myself. I never talked like this and I never flirted and I never once considered staying in a room with a guy I'd known less than four hours. Yet here I was, considering it, and my thoughts were not entirely platonic. Stella would have said it was the call of the wild, my brain finally realizing I was a young woman that needed to live.

"See, you understand."

I shook my head and squeezed his hands. I may have understood what he was saying, but it didn't mean I'd changed my mind, considering and doing were two different things entirely. One of the things I'd stuck with on this trip was to let fate guide me. There wasn't a room here; fate was telling me this was a bad idea.

"It was lovely meeting you, Jasper."

"Will you at least meet us for dinner? If you're not going to stay here, find a hotel close by and meet us."

I couldn't see any harm in that so I agreed. We were meeting outside of their hotel at seven in the evening. It was all I needed to know.

They were staying in the hotel Giulietta e Romeo, so I wandered down the street toward the arena of Verona and took in the sight with wide eyes. I loved the history in Europe. It went back so much further. Some of the buildings were probably older than the towns I'd lived in. I finally made my way to the hotel I'd been eyeing from my tour book, which was only a couple of block away from where the others were staying.

The hotel Torcolo seemed more my style anyway, so I edged inside and got myself a room, collapsing on the bed with my arms out straight. The building was old and the room wasn't a standard shape but I found it charming. It was clean, well cared for and the decor was so very Italian. It made me excited for the trip I planned to take into Tuscany.

I'd decided to rent a car and drive the three hours to Tuscany, and then after a week there drive the three hours to Rome, where I would spend a couple of days before flying home. It made me sad to think that in less than three weeks I would be leaving Europe and heading back to my real life.

I took a well-needed shower and rifled through my things looking for something to wear to dinner. I needed a Laundromat, but more than that I needed something that resembled a dress. All I had were jeans and shorts and some cute flimsy tops that could be made small to fit in the backpack.

There was only one thing for it. I would have to bite the bullet and head to a store, and it didn't excite me. I hated shopping with a passion that could rival the gates of hell, but a situation like this called for a dress, so a dress I would find. How often did you meet a hot guy in Italy and get asked out to dinner? My best estimate was once, so I was grabbing that proverbial bull by the horns and just going for it.

It was Italy, it didn't take me long to find a store that sold dresses, and I just picked the first one I thought would look decent, paid, and bolted. It wasn't until I got back to my room and finished getting ready that I realized the only footwear I had were my chucks. Thankfully they were black, but there was nothing to do for the grubbiness. Not that I would have if I could. I'd only brought these with me because Stella and I had decided after the trip they would go into shadowbox with my ticket as a keepsake to remember the trip by. I had dirt from four different countries on these beauties, and I was currently working on a fifth.

With one last hesitant look in the mirror, I grabbed my wallet and key and took to the streets of Verona. It was beautiful at night, romantic even. As the lights began to illuminate the streets in small pools I found myself smiling. I'd always wanted to go to Italy, and my first stop as soon as the sun rose, would be Juliet's balcony. I wanted to sketch it with my own version of the girl stood looking out over the street. I had only ever seen pictures, but I knew that my mind would make up for anything I thought was missing.

With my sketchpads under my arm I could lose hours of the day just watching something that caught my eye, and shaping it into something it would have been.

I made my way down the narrow street that led to the front of the hotel where I'd left Jasper and the others but stopped dead, darting into a doorway when I saw them lingering in the front of the hotel. They were all there, including a beautiful tall brunette. Jasper was leaned against the wall beside her, his carefree laugh carrying down the street toward me. I felt stupid; I should have known he was just being nice. Italy was brimming with women like the one he was talking to, olive skinned, dark hair, tall and beautiful.

I turned around and made my way back down the street, pulling on my sweater and hooking the hood over my hair so I wouldn't be noticed. Forcing back the disappointment as I smiled at a couple walking toward me.

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had when I'd first arrived back in the room. I was stupid to have put so much stock in his words. Once again fate had made the right call by not having a room open to stay in, it made me feel better about it at least.

Once I was showered and dressed, I headed out into the Italian morning with my destination firmly set in my mind. I avoided the short cut, which passed Jasper's hotel, and made my way toward the streets I would need the long way. The sun was starting to wake up as I wound my way through the buildings that sat so closely together.

I picked up a coffee and some pastries closer to the balcony. I was hoping that I could get there before the crowds and find the right angle I needed to do it justice.

It was breathtaking. I never knew that something so stationary and unmoving could say so much. It was beautiful and haunting all at the same time. It was surrounding in hopes and dreams of not only the characters but also everyone who'd ever visited this place. This meant something to people. It was a symbol.

My mind raced with possibilities, and I almost scrambled to get my sketchpad open fast enough. I must have sat there for hours watching the balcony as my fingers worked. There were pictures of the balcony, sketches of the awed expressions on people's faces, and the looks of adoration between couples as they eyed the scene speculatively. So much life and love in one place, and they were my muses. Everywhere I looked I saw something I wanted to draw, but my fingers couldn't keep up.

"Bella?"

I'd been so deep in my own head; I hadn't even seen them arrive. As far as I was concerned I was a ghost watching and sketching. No one had bothered me all day. When I finally looked up I gave the smiling face a grin.

"Hey, Jasper."

I tried not to let the embarrassment show on my face. I'd been avoiding them. It was rude not to show up to dinner the night before. My pride had been hurt but that didn't mean I should have run away like a coward.

"What happened to you last night?" he asked, taking a seat next to me as I waved at the others. "We waited for an hour."

For some reason, he immediately made me feel at ease with his lazy smile. I could hear in the tone of his voice he'd been more worried than upset, which only seemed to echo my regrets all the more. That was one of my downfalls in life. I made decisions then thought about it. I thought I'd been doing well keeping up with my logic even this morning, but seeing them had thrown that right out the window.

"I know, I'm sorry. I sat on the bed for a minute, and the next thing I know it was almost seven in the morning. I would have called but I didn't want to wake you up."

Now I was a liar. I'd lied to him. Guilt was now the most prevalent emotion bursting through my bloodstream. I had been irrational and now I was lying about it. Yet even as bad of a liar that I was, he seemed to buy it, his easy smile stretched out his lips showing just how dazzlingly handsome he was.

"No biggie, you can make up for it tonight. How long have you been here?"

"Since around eight," I replied, adding the finishing touches to the sketch I was working on.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, leaning in to see what I was working on.

"I had a coffee and a pastry when I got here," I laughed. "Why do you ask?"

"You realize it's five in the afternoon right?"

I tipped my head to the side so I could take him in. I'd thought he was joking, but the way he was looking at me told me he wasn't. I wasn't sure how I'd lost so many hours, but I'd bet the change I had in my pocket that if I looked through my sketch pad each time lapse would be represented.

"I do now?" I said scrunching up my face.

"Can I see?" Jasper asked nodding at the pad I was clutching in my hands.

I flicked back almost ten pages, before handing it to him. I was surprised by just how many I'd managed to fit in there. Some of the pages had even had several faces etched on them. I guess I could see how I'd lost time now.

"You did all of these today?" he asked, his eyes lingering on one of the sketches that I'd improvised on.

"Yeah, I get kinda caught up in it all."

"Hey," Emmett shouted across the small courtyard. "Good to see you Bells. We missed you last night."

"I know I'm sorry. I passed out."

Liar.

"That's okay, we're going somewhere much more fun tonight, and your coming right?"

"Sure, I . . ."

"I'll pick her up so I can rouse her from her slumber if she decides to pass out again," Jasper said, his eyes still on the paper.

"Excellent, Bella do you think I could borrow your talents to draw a caricature of Rosie and me doing Romeo and Juliet? Going rate is applicable of course."

"I'll do it on one condition," I laughed. "It's a freebie."

I spent the rest of the afternoon with the group, once I'd finished drawing Rose and Emmett's picture, Maggie asked me to do one for her and Edward. Jasper sat beside me, watching over my shoulder pointing out the things he found goofy about his friends.

When the natural light started to fade, we made our way back to the hotel. Jasper, true to his word made sure him the hotel and room number I was staying in so he could find me and escort me to the restaurant.

I put on the same dress, felt just as awkward about my chucks and managed to put myself together to look semi decent. When there was finally a knock at the door, I opened it to reveal Jasper stood smiling at me in an impressive looking suit.

"Now how did you fit that in your backpack without creasing it," I snorted, inviting him in as I dug through some of the jewelry I'd bought on my travels.

"My sister doesn't backpack, she has the maximum weight limit and insisted on bringing one of these penguin suits for each of us. Which reminds me, Maggie asked me to bring you these," he said holding up a pair of slip on heels that were four inches bigger than I was used to. "She figured you were the same size, and she also noted the backpack of yours. That would most definitely not fit shoes like these in."

"Smart woman."

Jasper grinned and wandered around the room as I sat on the bed and pulled off my shoes and socks. The moment I slipped my feet in the heels I stood up and teetered on the spot.

"Well look how good you clean up," Jasper teased, gripping my arm to steady me.

"You're not so bad yourself," I grinned actually feeling the part with the murderous shoes on my feet. "If we hit cobblestones, you're giving me a piggy back."

"No need, I got me some wheels," he mused, moving the hand to mine and holding it. "After dinner I am taking you out on the town."

"What about the others?"

For the first time since I met him, Jasper's cheeks pinked. That's when I realized he was taking me on a date.

"Works for me," I said quietly, offering him a smile, which he matched with his own.

As we stood in the elevator, hand in hand, I could hardly believe the transition from the night before to that moment. I'd thought the worst, it had never occurred to me that he could actually be interested in spending time with me, yet here he was next to me with a smile that little up the small cube.

I wasn't naive enough to think of it as much more than a chance to have some fun with a hot guy in a foreign land. Things like this didn't normally transfer well on the flip side, so I decided I would make the most of my time with him while I could.

The moment we stepped outside and into the small courtyard in front of the hotel, I couldn't help but laugh at the Vespa sat there. It was something I'd always wanted to do, yet never really thought about it.

"What do you think of my wheels?"

"Quaint, but not very manly."

Just as the words left my lips a butch looking Italian drove past on one, he gave Jasper and I a nod as he passed.

"Don't tell him that," Jasper whispered, offering a nod in response.

We climbed on the thing and I shimmied up behind him, my arms around his waist loosely. I wasn't used to this kind of thing, the only dates I'd been on since I'd started at NYU had involved the subway or walking. Being picked up and driven somewhere was a different experience entirely.

Before taking off, Jasper took my hands and pulled them tight around his waist until my front was pressed to tightly against his back I could feel his laughter. With a small jump of the bike we were off, buzzing through Verona in the last remains if the day as it gave way to the night.

We met the others at the restaurant, all of us were talking animatedly about what to do the next day, I knew I should be concentrating on my drawing, but I enjoyed their company, and from what Rosalie was saying, they'd be leaving in a few days.

"So Bella, when are you heading home?" Emmett asked, taking a mouthful of his beer and swinging an arm over the back of Rose's chair.

"Not for another . . ." I tapered off as I did the math in my head. "Two weeks at least."

"I'm jealous," Maggie said, leaning into Edward. "This place is magical. I'm glad we didn't do Paris."

"Paris isn't bad," I grinned. "I didn't stay long because I prefer the small places, but it definitely had something magical about it."

"How many places have you been?" Jasper asked. His arm was on the back of my chair but his fingers were gently making circles on the skin left bare by the dress I was wearing. It was sending shivers down my spine making it impossible to think.

"Five countries and too many cities, towns and villages to name," I laughed. "I have them all written down in my travel journal, but off the top of my head it's pretty useless."

We all talked about our trips, Rosalie and Maggie had flown from Barcelona to Verona and the three guys had flown to Amsterdam and then taken the train to meet them here in Verona. I tried to listen to the conversation, but instead I was lost in the way Jasper touched me, or whispered something to add to the story being told.

I wished I had a way to document the way I felt, something that would remind me of these moments. The way his fingers felt on my skin, the way his breath brushed over my shoulder disturbing my hair enough to make it tickle my neck. Even the candlelight that reflected from his eyes making him look like an impossible dream version of himself. Sights were one thing, but touches, smells and tastes were all things I would eventually lose to memories.

We never really talked about home or who we were there, we all seemed stuck in this city and who we were here, not willing to bring our real lives back into the mix in fear of losing these moments. They spoke about their pasts, but there were never any details beyond situations. It should have seemed unusual, but for me it was easier to integrate myself into the group.

"You ready to go, beautiful?" Jasper whispered into my ear as the others decided on what bar they were going to get drunk in. The way his voice turned gravelly when he whispered was the only thing that knocked me into action, because spending time with him alone now seemed like something too good to be true. So I nodded, unable to find actual words to form actual sentences and structures.

"Hey guys, we're taking off," Jasper announced, digging through his wallet and throwing a wad of euros into the center of the table. The others offered me some form of goodnight as Jasper offered me his hand and helped me from my seat.

"See you tomorrow guys," I offered, as Jasper tugged on my hand gently.

Jasper and I drove around the city on the Vespa just taking in the sights as the gentle breeze worked through my hair. This time I didn't mind pressing myself to him, I even let my cheek rest against his shoulder. We stopped at points of interest, we walked along the river hand in hand, and we explored little side roads and interesting looking bars. We ended up walking hand in hand down the promenade in the centuries old tradition of passeggiata was taken up by the locals.

"Are you cold?" Jasper asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer.

"I thought we were beyond pick up lines," I teased, letting my hand come to rest on his stomach.

"If this was fishing, you'd be tugging on the bait, I just have to reel you in."

"A fishing analogy?" I laughed, letting my head rest on his shoulder. The truth was, hook, line and sinker were singing through my head. Whether or not I was trying to keep my distance, ready myself for the inevitable goodbye, I still couldn't stop my reaction to him. Nothing I did would stop the butterflies churning in my stomach at the thought of him, it would only end in heartache, but I realized taking risks is what living was about.

"Lets go to Juliet's house."

"What? Why?"

"I want to write her a letter and hand deliver it," he said excitedly, dancing in front of me and walking backward.

"Wait," I laughed. "It won't be accessible."

"We'll sneak in," he bounced excitedly.

"I'm sure they're well prepared for that. You're not the first to think about it," I teased. "I really wasn't planning a jail break on this trip you know."

"Then remind me tomorrow."

"We're going to Giardino Guisti tomorrow."

"Then the day after," he smiled, pulling me into his side again. "I have a favor to ask of her."

"You're not going to share are you?"

"Not a chance."

We continued our stroll, and people watched. It seemed as though there was love everywhere. Gentle touches, stolen kisses, and fingertips on cheeks, it felt as though the city breathed it, spreading it among its people. It was intoxicating being among it, but as most things the evening had to end.

Jasper was the perfect gentleman; he drove me home and gave me a chaste kiss goodnight. The moment the door close and I was alone I fell into my bed with a squeal of delight. Without knowing it, he'd given me the most enchanting night of my life.

When I got up and showered the next morning, I found him outside my door with a white rose as he invited me to breakfast. We met with the other for the fifteen-minute walk to the Giardino Guisti. The others made their way around the beautiful gardens, while I sat on a small patch of grass with my sketchpad.

Jasper refused to leave me; he made himself comfortable behind me, his long legs stretching out on either side of me as I drew the breathtaking scene before me. He was more patient than I had given him credit for. Occasionally he would lean his chin on my shoulder and watched as my fingers worked. His fingers would travel the column of my neck as he brushed the loose strand back over my shoulders. When I took a break, I leaned back into his chest and just watched the world pass by.

"It's beautiful isn't it," I mused quietly, it seemed as though the city extended it's charm and charisma to here as well. People seemed quite happy to meander through the gardens hand in hand. Even I was caught up in its spell. Being here with Jasper like this felt as though it had always been this way.

"It is," he said, his arm around me, his cheek against my cheek. "But seeing it through your eyes makes it all the more so. You have such a beautiful take on the world."

"I draw what I see."

"But it's so much more than what's in front of you. You've definitely opened my eyes."

He raised his hand, and caught my chin turning my head so he could see my eyes. We stayed that way for a while, cerulean blue holding my chocolate brown captive. He moved slowly, leaning forward with the patience I hadn't thought he was capable of. It drove me so crazy, so I closed the distance.

The kiss was deep and searing, full of romance as lust. I was aware of my sketchpad slipping to the ground, but it didn't distract me, instead I rolled to my knees deepening our connection as his hands found their place on my hips. Kissing wasn't something new for me, but this one was so much more than any I'd ever shared before.

It was it's own form of communication between us, and I was reluctant to part ways. I didn't want to lose this moment, it was swirling colors and summer breezes, gentle caresses and unfathomable joy.

It was only when Emmett called: "About time," from somewhere across the gardens that we parted, the spell momentarily broken.

We spent all of our time in Verona together after that, three days and three glorious evenings of him being a perfect gentleman. We even made it back to Juliet's house and he placed his note there with a kiss where he'd sealed it. He'd had me write a note to place with it but it didn't have much. Just three words that I hoped she'd understand. '_I want him_.'

They were leaving so soon, and I had to get used to the idea of traveling alone once again. Without his resplendent tenor and his lingering touches it would be hard to focus on the beauty ahead of me. I was still looking forward to Tuscany and Rome, but I knew, without a doubt I would miss Jasper. I would miss them all. I'd inexplicably formed a friendship with them all; I'd bonded with them and no longer felt like an interloper when we were all together. I'd never formed bonds like that before, it was so quick, so sudden so absolute, and yet I knew so little about them outside of this city.

The night before they were due to leave was the night I knew I had to make the memory stick. I couldn't let him go without spending one night with him. When we stepped off the elevator and stopped outside of my door, he leaned in to kiss me.

I indulged myself in him, my hands tangled in the downy hair at the back of his neck as I parted my lips to give him access. The kiss was deep and languid, filled with the passion and lust that had built up over our time spent together.

"I should go," he mumbled against my lips, his eyes still closed from the kiss we'd shared.

"Don't. Please, stay," I whispered.

"But, Bella . . ."

"I want you to stay, I can't let you go without one night with you."

Instead of an answer, his lips pressed against mine with a fervor that made my toes curl, I felt along the door with my hands, and pushed the key into the lock. Throwing it open so we both stumbled inside. His hands were on my ribs squeezing gently with the dance of his lips and as I kicked the door closed, her lifted me with ease.

He moved across the room quickly and placed me on the bed gently, worshipping my lips a little more before pulling back to look at me with hungry eyes.

"Are you sure you want this? I don't want you to feel like you have to do this because I'm leaving."

"It's not about that, Jasper," I smiled, my fingers pushing buttons through the holes revealing more of his well defined chest and abs. "I hate that you're leaving but I want this because I want to remember how real you are, I want to feel the passion we have between us when I think back on this."

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. His warm breath washed over me as his bright blue eyes captured the muddy brown of my own once again. The air around us crackled, making the decision neither one of us had said out loud.

"I don't want to leave," he finally said, his voice laced with uncertainty. "If we do this I don't think I'll be able to walk away. I know nothing about you and your life back in the States. I don't even know where you live. I thought that I was so lucky to even be spending time with you, every day has been like a gift, and if you give me this . . . I can't say goodbye."

"Then don't. Stay. I'm going to spend a week in Tuscany and then move on to Rome. From there I go back home. Just stay with me and see what happens."

I didn't know if he had a job to go back to, where he lived, how old he was, or what he even did for a living, I only knew what we'd shared on this trip together. We'd spent so long living in the moment that the rest had melted away. It had been just us, and this city, filled with memories. He'd been in every drawing I'd done since Juliet's balcony; he was in every memory I had of this city.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do," I laughed, my hand cupping his cheek. "I don't know what will happen when we get home, but I can't help feeling like we mesh well together."

"We do," He sighed thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Where do you live?"

I couldn't help the grin of happiness. It seemed he wanted a quick game of twenty questions before he committed to anything. I could appreciate that. It made sense to know more about the other before taking a huge step.

"I grew up in Washington State, but I'm living in my dorm at NYU, I took a semester off to travel."

He smiled.

"What?"

"To think I traveled all this way to meet you and you were living in my backyard."

I laughed and gave him a chaste kiss. "You live in New York."

He nodded. "Rose and I run our own PR Company with Edward and Emmett."

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Twenty eight, you?"

"Twenty three."

"Any pets?"

"A dog," he smiled. "You?"

"Nope, dorms don't allow pets."

"What's your major?"

"Art history, with a minor in public relations," I laughed, shaking my head.

"You're shitting me?"

"No, I'm sorry I'm laughing I just had no idea."

"How could you?" he teased, dropping kisses on my cheeks.

We laughed together, wrapped in each other's arms until we both sobered. I needed to know that he would be with me. I needed to know that we could at least try. I had tried not to be attached, but it was impossible. How could I not be?

"Will you come with me?" I asked again, my voice a whisper that showed just how nervous I was that he'd say no.

"Yes."

My lips found his before the s of his yes had tapered off. Our kiss deepened and so did our moods as we shared one of the most magical nights of my life. He was gentle and doting in his movements, he worshipped my body with such reverence that I found pleasure more than once that first time together. It was all about give and take, we worked together, lost in the other as we made love until dawn. I'd never in my life had an experience like that.

We were good together. Like two puzzle pieces lost in the flux of the cosmos, brought together by one defining moment. After that night I knew I could never let him go.

Jasper stayed with me through the duration of the trip, he even attempted a couple drawings of his own in Tuscany, but he soon lost interest and took picture upon picture of the things I was trying to capture in graphite.

We drank wine at sunset, walked hand in hand through the countryside, laughed with the welcoming locals and made love every chance we got. It was like living in a dream world. We were so wrapped up in one another it was difficult to remember a time without him in my life. Everything I did was with him in mind, I was no longer a single word, I was a plural and I couldn't have been happier about it.

In Rome we did the tourist thing, and I even managed to sketch the coliseum before he whisked me away to do the romance part of it all. He took me to see all the manly things, but at night, he would wine and dine me with promises of a night wrapped around one another.

The minute the plane touched down in New York, I almost expected the bubble to burst, but it never did. We still saw one another every chance we got, I spent more and more of my evening with him, until Stella moved her boyfriend into our room without me even realizing it.

The start of my senior year, I moved in with him in his ridiculously large apartment, My Chucks finally got their shadow box, but it was the biggest size that Jasper insisted on filling with pictures and drawings of our time together. I'd asked him once about the letter he wrote to Juliet, in the shadowbox there was a constant reminder in the form of a picture he'd take to mark our letters side by side in a wall full of them. It took me months to finally get it out of him, and when he finally relented, he'd had to right it down.

_This is the girl I am going to marry, if she wants to keep me around, please have her ask me to stay. I will not force myself upon her, so I am leaving this up to her way. I am leaving this up to fate._

I'd cried as I read it and realized just how close I'd come to losing him. If I hadn't asked him to stay that last night I knew how drastically different my life would be. It was the first time in my life I was happy about being selfish.

Even my dad had accepted him as a large part of my life, the longer I was with him the more my father seemed to consider him family. When we would visit him, they'd fish for hours leaving me on solid land to curl up with a sketchpad and capture what I saw. Having my dad's blessing only seemed to strengthen the connection between Jasper and I.

After I graduated, I was painting for a gallery and occasionally helped with some of the work at the office for Rose, Jasper and the others. I loved my life, and fell in to it with a passion I could only compare to the love I felt for Jasper. I looked back on the trip of a lifetime with fond memories. I had managed to gain back some perspective for myself after my mom's death, but more than that I had found my reason to breathe.


End file.
